Inside Duke Medicine
New system keeps a close eye on device-related infections
posted September 2nd, 2009Deverick Anderson, M.D., MPH, of the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, talks about a new, automated notification system offering real-time alerts when a device-related infection occurs.
The system allows the ICU staff to quickly react to the situation, with the important end results of enhancing patient safety and assessing whether specific targets for improvement are necessary.
Collaboration was the byword. ICU leadership approached Infection Control for assistance with real-time feedback on device-related infections. A team responded whose members included Lisa Cooper, RN, BSN; Sheila Vereen, RN, BSN, CIC; Judie Bringhurst, RN, BSN, ICP; Mary Oden, RN, MSH; Deverick Anderson, M.D., MPH; and Ryan Melton and Jeff Harger from Performance Services.
Performance Services first created a query to identify device-related infections entered into the Duke Infection Control and Epidemiology database within a seven-day period. Then, if device-related infections were identified, an automated e-mail was generated and sent to appropriate ICU personnel. The e-mail led the ICU personnel to a web site that provided details of the infection.
As a result, the ICU staff is now able to investigate each device-related infection shortly after it occurs, and the unit Quality Improvement team reviews each to determine whether specific targets for improvement are required.
The automated system has allowed for each device-related infection to be analyzed more quickly and has improved the relationship between ICU leadership and Infection Control.